Definition
Fluctuations in perceived relational value may be due to ostracism, rejection, or exclusion (Leary and Guadagno 2011). These changes in self-esteem are thought to be followed by cognitive interpretations of the exclusionary situation (e.g., Smart Richman and Leary 2009; Williams 2009). Such appraisals likely influence subsequent behavioral changes, including variations in prosocial or antisocial behavior.
Introduction
Sociometer theory proposes that state, or current, self-esteem changes according to a person’s perceived relational value (Leary and Guadagno 2011). Self-esteem thus typically decreases following social exclusion and increases after an episode of inclusion. Furthermore, it is widely believed that appraisals and attributions, or cognitive interpretations, of situations responsible for fluctuations in self-esteem determine...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
References
Buckley, K. E., Winkel, R. E., & Leary, M. R. (2004). Reactions to acceptance and rejection: Effects of level and sequence of relational evaluation. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 40, 14–28.
Eisenberger, N. I., Inagaki, T. K., Muscatell, K. A., Haltom, K. E. B., & Leary, M. R. (2011). The neural sociometer: Brain mechanisms underlying state self-esteem. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 23, 3448–3455.
Leary, M. R., & Guadagno, J. (2011). The sociometer, self-esteem, and the regulation of interpersonal behavior. In R. F. Baumeister & K. Vohs (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford.
MacDonald, G., & Leary, M. R. (2005). Why does social exclusion hurt? The relationship between social and physical pain. Psychological Bulletin, 131, 202–223.
Roser, M., & Gazzaniga, M. S. (2004). Automatic brains – Interpretive minds. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 13, 56–59.
Schoel, C., Eck, J., & Greifeneder, R. (2014). A matter of vertical position: Consequences of ostracism differ for those above versus below its perpetrators. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 5, 149–157.
Shilling, A. A., & Brown, C. M. (2016). Goal-driven resource redistribution: An adaptive response to social exclusion. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences. Advance online publication.
Smart Richman, L., & Leary, M. R. (2009). Reactions to discrimination, stigmatization, ostracism, and other forms of interpersonal rejection. Psychological Review, 116, 365–383.
Williams, K. D. (2009). Ostracism: A temporal need-threat model. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 41, 275–314.
Williams, K. D., & Wesselmann, E. D. (2011). The link between ostracism and aggression. In J. P. Forgas, A. W. Kruglanski, & K. D. Williams (Eds.), The psychology of social conflict and aggression. New York: Taylor and Francis Group.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this entry
Cite this entry
Shilling, A.A., Brown, C.M. (2016). Changes in Self-Esteem Motivate Behavioral Changes. In: Weekes-Shackelford, V., Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1449-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1449-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences